


But You Can't Outwait Fate

by anthologia



Series: Earth 3 [2]
Category: Batman (Comics), DCU (Comics), Robin (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Always a Different Sex, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, F/M, Fucked Up, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kidnapping, Medical Examination, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protectiveness, Pseudo-Incest, Psychopathology & Sociopathy, past trauma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-08
Updated: 2015-12-06
Packaged: 2018-04-30 13:19:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5165252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anthologia/pseuds/anthologia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clearly, he doesn’t expect the punch that sends him back into the door he just shut, because he doesn’t even block it. “Jason, what the fuck did you do?”</p><p>“We’re in a new reality.” He grabs her wrists to keep her from throwing any more punches, although she wasn’t planning on any after that first one was so satisfying. Yet. “One that’s not completely terrible.”</p><p>All right, maybe she does want to punch him again. “You’re insane.”</p><p>(Offshoot sequel to "A Sunset Couldn't Save Me Now".)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Offshoot sequel to "A Sunset Couldn't Save Me Now". Officially, Jason takes Tim to Ra's at the end of that story, but it occurred to me that probably the best chance they would have is if they went to a better reality entirely.
> 
> So... here's a version where they did.
> 
> Title from "Baobabs" by Regina Spektor.

It takes him some time to locate a universe that fits their needs: something brighter, happier, where people believe in the concepts of hope and heroism. A place where his adopted family consists of good people who helped others instead of a horrifying cabal that rules through fear and pain. Here, Batman, not Owlman, flies the night with his brood of Robins. Bruce Wayne, not Thomas Wayne, Jr., is heir to the Wayne fortune and has poured millions of his money into making Gotham a better, safer place to live. Dick Grayson is a cop, dedicating his days as well as his nights to protecting the innocent. Barbara Gordon is a benevolent Big Sister instead of an information broker who deals in blackmail and control. The current Wayne-in-training is a bright, bubbly blonde named Stephanie Brown.

Here, Jason Todd died as Robin, was laid to rest, and didn’t resurrect. Tim Drake traveled the world with his parents until their plane was brought down in Haiti, and all the passengers died. There’s two perfect holes in this world that they can step into.

Even though he’s done his research, Jason still hesitates before knocking on the door to the Manor. Because he’s crazy, putting himself back into these people’s hands. What if he’s _wrong_? What if this is all a front? What if he’s just giving himself and Tim back over to the murderers and terrorists they grew up with?

Alfred opens the door and immediately goes white, a look somewhere between horror and hope in his eyes. “Oh my.”

The new girl, Steph, comes bouncing around the corner. “Alfred, who is it?” She catches sight of Alfred’s shock, the unfamiliar man carrying an unconscious teenage girl in his arms. “What…?”

“Master Jason?” Alfred whispers.

Jason forces himself to push down all the terrible memories he has of this place and crack a smile like just being here doesn’t make him want to scream. “Hey, Alf.” He adjusts his hold on Tim. She should be out for at least a couple more hours. Fingers crossed. “You gonna invite me in, or…?”

“Of course,” Alfred says, still dazed, although he does pull open the door wider so Jason can step through. Stephanie’s disappeared, but not for long. In seconds, she comes skidding back with Dick on her heels.

“What’s wrong, why are you – oh my _god_ ,” Dick says, as that same, wide-eyed stare Alfred has takes over his face. “Little Wing?”

Jason wants to flinch when Dick rushes over, memories cascading through his head of the times Dick Grayson used that nickname like a weapon against him, but he manages to stay still. If he wants this to work, he has to be this reality’s Jason Todd, and that Jason has no reason to fear his older brother. “Hey, Dick. Miss me?”

“ _Miss_ you. I. How are you – “ Dick makes an aborted move, like he’s going to give Jason a hug, before he realizes Jason hasn’t come alone. “Who…?”

Alfred clears his throat. “Master Bruce should be returning within the hour. Perhaps we would be more comfortable in the living room. Unless the… young lady… requires medical attention.”

“Uh,” Steph says. “Someone want to fill me in?”

“She’s okay, just out.” No one else seems inclined to move (or breathe, for that matter), so Jason takes it upon himself to lead the way, hoping that the Manor in this reality is laid out roughly the same as his was. Everyone’s mercifully quiet while he sets Tim on a couch and sits down next to her with her head resting on his lap before glaring at them like he’s _daring_ them to object.

The next forty minutes are made up of some quality bullshit Jason spins about how he was resurrected but didn’t remember who he was for some time. How he finally decided it was time to come home because he needed to take Tim somewhere safe.

“So, uh. Who _is_ she?” Dick finally asks, but there’s some concern in his eyes that Jason thinks might actually be genuine.

“Someone who’s been through some serious shit,” Jason says with another glare. He’s been cagey enough about _what_ , exactly, he’s been up to that they let that slide for now, figuring that it’s something really bad that he’s not _ready_ to talk about yet. (Talia had been like that with him about his time with Bruce. So kind and understanding that it made him suspicious. Good people, _nice_ ones that didn’t come with a whole slew of painful ulterior motives were hard to come by, in his experience.)

He’s saved from having to elaborate by the clattering noise from the doorway. Bruce is standing still, everything he was carrying now on the floor. “Jason.”

Jason forces a smile again, swallows past the sick feeling in his stomach. He looks so much like Thomas, but at the same time, _not_. “Hey.”

Alfred stands abruptly. “Master Richard, Miss Stephanie – why don’t we prepare a pair of rooms for Jason and his guest?”

He wants to object, but he’s frozen, pinned in place by Bruce’s stare.

“ _Jason_ ,” Bruce says again, sounding almost _broken_ , before grabbing him and pulling him into a hug. Jason does flinch this time, but he corrects it immediately, does his best to act like a hug is totally normal and what he was expecting.

Well. At least he isn’t having trouble convincing them he’s really their Jason Todd.

__

Dick is waiting for her when she wakes up. Which is… Tim stares at him blankly for a moment. Something is _off_ about him, definitely, even ignoring the fact that the last thing she remembers, Jason declared that he wasn’t going to let her near the family again. It’s possible he didn’t get far before someone tracked him down.

“Hey, you’re awake,” Dick says, and pushes a glass of water towards her. “How’re you feeling?”

She glances at the glass, scrutinizing it for hints that it’s been laced with anything. If _Dick_ had to rescue her from Jason’s plans, then it doesn’t matter how pleasant he looks; he’s going to be disappointed in her for fucking up. It’s not completely outside the realm of possibilities that he might poison her as part of a casual reminder that she’s not going to keep her position if she can’t handle her problems by herself.

Dick looks… _sad?_ for a moment before he says, gently, “It’s just water. Thought you might be thirsty.”

She _is_ thirsty, but she’s not convinced enough yet that it’s safe to drink. It’d be safer to get her own water. “What did you do to Jason?”

“He’s talking to Bruce,” Dick says, like that explains literally anything. “Did Jason… do you know where you are? He said he didn’t have time to explain.”

“Wayne Manor.” She bites back the words _I don’t understand_ , so dangerously close to falling off her tongue. That’s not an acceptable sentence. You figure it out or you find a way to work around it. If there’s something they _want_ her to learn, they’ll tell her.

“Okay. Uh, I’m Dick.” She frowns at him, because – does he thinks she’s _brain-damaged_ or something? It’s not like she’d forget his name. “Grayson. I’m Jason’s… older brother.”

There’s a sick feeling in her stomach. Jason, _what did you do_. “Where is he?”

“Talking to Bruce, like I said – do you want me to take you to them?”

Ignoring him feels like an invitation to disaster, but so does asking him to do something for her without knowing the price (even if he offered). She dodges out of his immediate reach on her way out to be on the safe side. Searching the Manor without a hint as to Jason’s location wasn’t her most _brilliant_ plan, but she _does_ find him, talking to someone who –

Who _isn’t_ Owlman, but is most definitely, absolutely a _Wayne_. The resemblance is so strong that she freezes, every thought punched out of her head.

Jason catches sight of her a few seconds before the Wayne does and quickly stands. “Bruce, Tim. Tim, Bruce. I gotta talk to her alone now for a minute thanks.” She doesn’t fight it when he grabs her arm and drags her into another, empty room.

“What did you _do_.”

He shuts the door behind them. “We’re safe now.”

Clearly, he doesn’t expect the punch that sends him back into the door he just shut, because he doesn’t even block it. “Jason, what the _fuck_ did you do?”

“We’re in a new reality.” He grabs her wrists to keep her from throwing any more punches, although she wasn’t planning on any after that first one was so satisfying. _Yet_. “One that’s _not_ completely terrible.”

All right, maybe she does want to punch him again. “You’re _insane_.”

“ _He_ can’t get at us here. This is a universe where he died and Bruce lived. Ultraman’s a good guy who helps people. The Syndicate doesn’t exist.”

“How?”

He shakes his head. “I’m not telling you. We’re not going back.”

This is. It’s gone _so_ far out of her control that she has no idea what the right approach is to take here. Fight Jason and get as far away from here as possible so she can regroup? Pretend to play along and wait for an opportunity to go home?

Does she even _want_ to go home? _If_ what he says is accurate, this could be a… unique opportunity.

He smiles at her slowly. “There you go. Think about it, Babybird. No more doing whatever O tells you or else. No more trying to keep track of their rules. No more spending all your time keeping them happy with you. They’re _good_ people here.”

She snorts a little, because thinking that there aren’t going to be rules to this is… almost adorably naïve. But he’s right that it could be less difficult to navigate the family if they aren’t as entrenched in the shaky politics she’s used to. “What did you tell them?”

“Their Jason Todd died. ‘He’ came back from the grave but couldn’t bring himself to come home until now, when he needed somewhere safe to bring his,” he pauses and she _knows_ she’s not going to appreciate what comes out of his mouth next, “girlfriend.”

She narrows her eyes.

“Look, I know you’re not happy, but give it a try. Who knows, maybe you’ll _like_ not getting tortured by your family for a change.” He eases off on his grip on her wrists and slides his hand down to lace together with hers, squeezing it lightly. “You can’t go back, so what do you have to lose?”


	2. Chapter 2

One of the first things this new Wayne family wants from her is to submit to a physical. She’s weighing whether it would be too risky to decline when Jason presses himself against her side and says, quietly, “It’s fine. They did it with me, and I’m still alive. And I can come with you. Just in case.”

“What makes you think I trust _you?_ ” she asks him, sugar-sweet laced with arsenic. But he’s still the only known quantity in this entire situation, and she’s reasonably certain he’ll act in – well, what he _thinks_ are her best interests. She can probably count on him to be back-up, if she needs it.

The doctor is Leslie Thompkins, another familiar, not-quite-right face to add to the collection. She greets Tim with a smile, much warmer than the one Tim remembers, that gets a little more brittle when Tim demands she be allowed to see any information gathered as a condition of her cooperation.

Jason seats himself on the edge of the examination bed, only _just_ far enough that he’s out of the way, and keeps up a rambling, largely one-sided conversation that is obviously supposed to make her feel at ease. If she was a different person, she might have been grateful. If she was a different person, it might have _helped_.

It’s going reasonably well until: “This’ll only pinch for a moment – “

Tim sees the sharp glint and just _reacts_ , immobilizes the doctor’s hand and knocks the needle as far away as she can get it without risking contact. Before she can do any more damage, Jason grabs her from behind and immobilizes her arms. She grits her teeth and kicks backward viciously, not holding back because what is he _doing,_ he’s supposed to be _on her side._ He grunts and tightens his hold. “Tim! It’s just a blood sample, Babybird, calm down. She did it with me, it’s fine. You’re fine.”

Dr. Thompkins jerked back when Tim first moved, but she’s composing herself quickly, albeit from a safe distance. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. Jason’s right, I just want a blood sample.”

It might be true, but she’s not going to risk it. “No.”

Jason briefly loosens his hold on her so he can reach down and squeeze her hand. “I wouldn’t push it.”

“ – Fine,” Leslie says, but Tim doesn’t start to relax (or at least back away from the razor-edge of hyper-awareness) until the hypodermic is clearly disposed of.

Along with vetoing the blood sample, Tim flatly refuses to discuss any injuries, current or past. Gynecological health is also off the table. (Dr. Thompkins offers to send Jason away for that part of the exam, to which Tim replies, acidly, that it’s _far_ too late if they want to spare him knowledge of her vagina.)

As promised, Dr. Thompkins hands over her findings on a tablet for Tim to see when they’re done. There’s no new information (to her, at least), but Leslie _has_ carefully compiled a list of every scar, documented every piece of evidence of injury she could find on Tim’s body. It’s… a long, thorough list.

She’s not sure whether to try to erase the file entirely or just throw the physical tablet at Jason, because – they’re _safe_ , are they. The _idiot_. Because Tim can think of a few reasons someone might want a categorical inventory of all her potential weak spots, and none of them are benign, but she’s not sure if she can afford the kind of price she’d have to pay for sabotaging the information.

“Tim…?”

She sets the tablet down, nods once to Leslie, and walks away. Jason _tries_ to follow her, but she’s out of sight by the time he gets through the door.

 

 

It’s going better than he expected, honestly, even though it’s still so obvious that Tim expects at any minute to run into a wall she didn’t know was there and get _destroyed_ for it (he remembers what that was like, he _knows_ ). And there’s no hiding it from _these_ Waynes. Most of their attention’s still on their miraculously-resurrected son, but Tim’s less-than-great physical exam threw off a few more alarm bells. (Not that his went a whole lot better, but at least he managed to hold himself back from attacking Dr. Thompkins when she came at him for a blood sample.)

They have rooms right next to each other, but he doesn’t really expect her to show up so soon, not when she’s still pissed off at him. When she does, he’s half-asleep and completely caught off-guard when she climbs onto the bed and straddles him. “Tim? What are you – ”

“I’m your _girlfriend_ , aren’t I?” she answers. Her hips roll against his, and he has to _work_ not to react. “I should _thank_ you for ‘rescuing’ us.”

It’s probably a power play of a kind. If Jason was a better person, he’d say no, make her _see_ that things can be different here, that she doesn’t have to play the same games. (But if he was a better person, he would’ve said no that first time and never been in this position at all.)

He can still change the script a little. He can’t use the same technique to flip them that he did before he brought her here, but he moves like he’s _going_ to, and she reacts. _That’s_ the moment he was waiting for, and he uses the motion to sit up and push her down against the bed. He doesn’t have anything to _keep_ her there for the moment except brute strength, but luckily he has a lot of that.

“ _Jason_.”

“You want this, we’re doing it my way,” he says evenly. “Maybe you’ll figure out that not _everyone_ is out to hurt you.”

“That’s _rich_ coming from the person who _drugged_ me and kidnapped me to another dimension.”

Does he feel bad about that? _Yeah_. Just not bad enough. “Make a choice, Babybird.”

She stares up at him for a few moments before abruptly knocking him away from her and stalking out the door.

“Fair enough,” he says to the empty room.

**Author's Note:**

> If you are interested in my fics and want more, I have an account at syntactition.tumblr.com where I have bits of stories that are currently in the works and other ficlets and stories that haven't made their way to AO3.


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